General science news that spans multiple disciplines and research areas.
Roman roads weren’t so straight after all
# Roman Roads Weren't Engineered for Pure Straight Lines, New Analysis Reveals Researchers have overturned a centuries-old assumption about Roman roa…
Six ways people have used magic to protect their homes throughout history—from witch bottles to 'hag stones'
# How Humans Have Protected Their Homes with Magic Across Cultures and Time Humans across virtually every culture and historical period have turned t…
A War of 1812 soldier buried his own arm. His real story is even stranger
# A War of 1812 Veteran's Hidden Struggle Emerges from Rediscovered Memoir Shadrack Byfield became a footnote in military history for an unusual act:…
Exquisite 66-million-year-old bird feather preserved in dinosaur dropping
A fossilized dropping from 66 million years ago contains a pristinely preserved feather from a bird that passed through a dinosaur's digestive system,…
Geologists reveal the Americas collided millions of years earlier than thought
# Volcanic Rocks in Colombia Reveal Earlier Collision of Central and South America Geologists have pushed back the timeline for when Central and Sout…
Crime is falling—but the public doesn't feel safer, UK study finds
# Public Fear of Crime Outpaces Actual Crime Rates in UK, Research Shows Crime statistics across the United Kingdom reveal a paradox. Reported offens…
A massive plume deep beneath Africa is pulling the continent apart
A colossal plume of hot material rising from Earth's mantle beneath Africa drives the ongoing breakup of the continent, according to new research exam…
Using data to help wheat growers adapt to unpredictable weather
# Data-Driven Forecasting Helps Wheat Farmers Navigate Erratic Spring Weather Wheat growers across major production regions face a mounting challenge…
13 sci-fi books that inspired our favorite shows and movies
# Sci-Fi Novels That Shaped Television and Film Space.com has compiled a list of science fiction novels that directly inspired popular television ser…
My 5 favorite sights to see in the night sky with binoculars
# Night Sky Viewing Through Binoculars Binoculars offer amateur astronomers an accessible entry point to celestial observation without the cost and c…
I sailed to Greenland for a total solar eclipse — what I saw left me speechless
A journalist traveled to East Greenland to witness the total solar eclipse and experienced something that scientific knowledge and photographs could n…
Dark matter could magnify the jets of a ravenously feeding supermassive black hole
Astronomers have detected evidence that dark matter is gravitationally lensing the jets emitted from a distant blazar, offering a new window into unde…
'I'm not sure how such a law could be enforced': Readers react to a possible social media ban for children
# Readers Skeptical of Social Media Ban for Children, Poll Shows Live Science readers express doubt about whether a proposed social media ban for you…
Neanderthals may have trekked through the Saudi Arabian desert 55,000 years ago, farther south than experts thought possible
Archaeologists have discovered stone tools at a lakeside site in Saudi Arabia that suggest Neanderthals ventured into the Arabian desert roughly 55,00…
Einstein’s biggest “mistake” came back — and changed cosmology forever
Albert Einstein famously dismissed his cosmological constant as his "biggest blunder." He introduced the term in 1917 to keep the universe static, the…
Did humans evolve to be active throughout the day and night?
Humans likely evolved as cathemeral creatures, active during both day and night in scattered bouts, rather than strictly diurnal sleepers confined to …
Biological sex is neither binary nor a spectrum—a biologist explains how it's multidimensional
# Biological Sex is Multidimensional, Not Binary or Spectrum A biologist has challenged the common framework that treats biological sex as either a s…
Topography controls how mountains respond to large earthquakes
Researchers have identified topography as the primary control determining how severely mountains erode following large earthquakes. A study examining …
Forget 'Halo' — the latest 'Futurama' episode has a ring world covered in super-intelligent rats (exclusive)
# Futurama Returns to Ring World Concept in Latest Episode The animated series "Futurama" tackles a classic science fiction trope in its newest episo…
Why women with ADHD feel overwhelmingly ‘controlled’ by their hormones
Women with ADHD experience disproportionate emotional and cognitive disruption from hormonal fluctuations, a pattern psychiatrists increasingly recogn…
Our blood’s body clock may be causing anaemia cases to be missed
Blood test results fluctuate throughout the day and across seasons, potentially causing clinicians to miss anaemia diagnoses when patients happen to r…
'This is unprecedented': Why the Pentagon's recent UFO file releases are so important
# Pentagon UFO Releases Mark Shift Toward Transparency, Advocates Say The Pentagon's recent release of UFO-related files constitutes a watershed mome…
When is the next solar eclipse? Mark your calendar for an upcoming 'ring of fire' and the 'eclipse of the century'
Skywatchers who witnessed the 2024 total solar eclipse across North America should prepare for another celestial spectacle. A series of notable solar …
Do you think social media bans will protect children?
Australia's recent legislation banning social media access for children and young teenagers has sparked global debate about whether such restrictions …
A little movement in midlife could pay off for your brain years later
Middle-aged adults who exercise regularly and maintain healthy blood sugar levels show slower cognitive decline in old age, according to new research.…
Hurricane Lala pulls away from Hawaii's Big Island
Hurricane Lala moved away from Hawaii's Big Island early Sunday while continuing to drench the region with heavy rain and powerful winds. State offici…
'A fine line between reducing stigma and trivialising conditions': Social media, self-diagnosis and the glamorization of ADHD
Social media platforms are reshaping how people understand and discuss ADHD, blurring the boundary between raising awareness and trivializing a comple…
Why do cats yowl?
Cats produce yowls for several distinct reasons, each tied to specific behavioral and emotional states rather than random vocalization. The most comm…
A photographic memory is wishful thinking
Human memory does not work like a camera, despite enduring myths about photographic recall. Neuroscientists have repeatedly demonstrated that human br…
The common mistake that could make aging joints hurt more
People often assume that painful aging joints require rest, but inactivity worsens the very problem they're trying to solve. Movement actually nourish…
The Perseid meteor shower peak was spectacular: Here are our favorite photos
The Perseid meteor shower delivered striking displays across the night sky this week, with photographers capturing brilliant streaks of light that sho…